Battle of Salado Creek
The Battle of Rosillo (Called the Battle of Salado Creek at the time) started as a siege of Presidio La Bahía from November 7, 1812, to February 19, 1813 for the purpose of trying to recapture the fort after the Republican army of Bernardo Gutiérrez de Lara and Samuel Kemper numbered at 600 to 900 men, had taken over. The Spanish Royalist Army of Texas under Governor Manuel María de Salcedo and Nuevo León governor Simón de Herrera had retreated back to San Antonio. In March 1813, the Royalist army, numbering 950 to 1,500, had planned an ambush on the Republicans as they marched and searched for food along the creek banks. The Republicans caught sight of the Royalists and routed them within an hour, killing between 100 and 330 of the Royalists and capturing most of their arms and ammunition, six cannons, and 1,500 horses and mules at the expense of only six men. After the battle, the Royalists retreated back to San Antonio, signed a truce with Kemper on April 1, and surrendered Salcedo and Herrera. On April 3, Salcedo, Herrera, and twelve prisoners of war were executed by the Republican army at the site of the battle. On April 6, 1813, the first Declaration of Independence and Constitution for Texas were drafted and Gutiérrez was named President, establishing the first Republic of Texas. The new Republic was destroyed on August 18, 1813 at the fateful Battle of Medina.[http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/RR/qfr2.html Handbook of Texas Online], June 6, 2001 A later Battle of Salado Creek (1842) was fought between the volunteers of the Texas Republic and the Mexican forces of Brig. General and French soldier Adrián Woll. The battle began following Brig. General Ráfael Vásquez's incursion of San Antonio in March 1842. The volunteers prepared for battle but believed that peace was on the horizon after the release of prisoners from the failed Santa Fe Expedition. Because of this a potential attack was called off by President Sam Houston. However on September 11, 1842 Brig. Gen. Adrián Woll entered San Antonio with 1,000 regular infantry and 500 irregular cavalry. After this, around 200 volunteers from Gonzales, Seguin, and other lower Colorado River settlements joined together under Capt. Mathew Caldwell on the east bank of Salado Creek. They met up there with Capt. John C. Hays's regiment of fourteen rangers. The men took advantage of their good position on the bank and killed 60 Mexicans, losing only one of their own. Simultaneously, Capt. Nicholas Mosby Dawson was traveling from La Grange with his 53 man company of volunteers to meet up with Caldwell. Cut off from the larger body of their men and surrounded, they surrendered after a brief skirmish which resulted in the Dawson Massacre.Thomas W. Cutrer, "SALADO CREEK, BATTLE OF," Handbook of Texas Online , accessed July 2, 2014. Published by the Texas State Historical Association.[http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/qfd01 "Dawson Massacre". Handbook of Texas Online.] Retrieved July 2, 2014. References External links * Salado Creek at The Edwards Aquifer Website Category:Battles